One of Those Stories
by handsomelawbringer
Summary: A collection of drabbles and oneshots of Rhys and Sasha's life together post-Tales. Involves some angst, a lot of good times, and, of course, a love stronger than a Vault Monster.
1. Chapter 1

Game: Tales from the Borderlands

Pairing: Rhys/Sasha

Genre: Romance/Humor/Angst

Rating: T

A/N: So here it is! My promised collection of Rhys/Sasha oneshots and drabbles.

One of Those Stories

1: A Story of Nightmares

He still had nightmares of her dying.

The memory of her—still amongst the remains of The Traveler, unresponsive, not even reacting to his panicked screech of her name—still haunted him in his sleep. The feeling of her hand brushing his cheek—cold, trembling, pale—still sent shivers down his spine. The numbing shock that had rolled through him when she had laid her head down and closed her eyes—not moving, not moving, _not moving_ —still made his heart stop to this day.

He would wake up, panting, screaming, crying, sweating. He would wake up and think she was dead—dead!—and that it, his life was a dream, that she hadn't opened Felix's present, that he had never entered the Vault because it—riches, fame, glory—didn't matter if _she_ wasn't there. He would wake up and run to the toilet, throw up the cover and empty his stomach into the bowl, resting his head against the cool porcelain when he was done and just cry, cry, cry.

Caught between reality and the world of dreams, he would wonder what was real and what wasn't. He would wonder if she had really come after him and Fiona in the Vault, if she had really become a Vault Hunter and taken on the entire galaxy in her fight to get them back. He would wonder if their courtship was a dream, if someone as amazing as her had fallen in love with someone as lame as him, if she had really gone to bed with him, let him in, told him that she loved him more than anything else in the entire galaxy.

And then, inevitably, her arms would wrap around him and her scent would fill his nose and he would drink it in, drink her in, and relax into her touch, and she was real, his life was real, their life together was _real_.

"I'm sorry," she would whisper into his ear. "I'm so, so sorry, Rhys. But I'm here and I'm never leaving you again."

With a gulping sigh, he would maneuver himself around, the cold tile of the bathroom hard against his bare knees, and pull her into his lap and hug her tightly to his perspiration-soaked chest. Her arms would travel from his waist to his neck and they would sit there, sometimes for hours, sometimes for minutes.

He still had nightmares of her dying.

The memory of her—still amongst the remains of The Traveler, unresponsive, not even reacting to his panicked screech of her name—still haunted him in his sleep. The feeling of her hand brushing his cheek—cold, trembling, pale—still sent shivers down his spine. The numbing shock that had rolled through him when she had laid her head down and closed her eyes—not moving, not moving, _not moving_ —still made his heart stop to this day.

But she was there to chase away the demons that haunted him in his sleep and kiss away his fears.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I apologize for this long-awaited update! I finally have a new job that affords me more free time and I plan on playing catchup to my ongoing fics. Thank you for your patience!

 _Down the Skag Hole_ is still a work in progress and the next chapter is nearing completion.

2: A Story of Names

"We are not naming our firstborn 'Loader Bot', Rhys. And that's _final_."

Rhys grimaced, Sasha's tone of voice carrying the finality that she had promised.

"But I—" He broke off as Sasha's eyebrows bunched together, lips compressed in a way that told Rhys she meant business and was not keen on the idea of her child being named after a Hyperion bot. But, as it so happened, _her_ child was _his_ child too, and he had a promise to keep.

Back when he'd made that vow, Loader Bot having just saved his life for the first time, he had never, not even in his wildest dreams, imagined that he would have children, because he was…well, he was _Rhys_. But now…well, Loader Bot had done a lot for him. For _them_. A kid could be named worse things, and on Pandora, a name like "Loader Bot" wouldn't be _that_ strange. There was a Vault Hunter named "Brick", after all.

Rhys leaned forward, resting his elbows on the coffee table and steepling his fingers, keeping his eyes glued to Sasha's. The table dipped slightly under his weight, but still his attention remained on his wife, his will just as resolute as hers, the table groaning in protest as their staring contest continued.

He had learned a bit ago that it was just best to ignore the table's complaints, that it was much sturdier than it appeared thanks to a rather rowdy…romp...between the two of them one night that had, in fact, led to this talk. There were dark stains—hopefully not of blood—that dotted its surface at irregular intervals, one edge full of chips and rough wood, the other smooth and worn away as if someone had spent a lot of time brushing up against that particular side, more than likely for the very reasons they had, though Rhys tried not to think about it and sanitized the table religiously every other day.

Despite their adventure on it, none of the damage or wear and tear had come from either Sasha or Rhys. The coffee table had been presented to them as a wedding present, one that Rhys had balked at but Sasha had elbowed him in the gut and eagerly accepted. The Crimson Raiders weren't like Hyperion, after all. Broke corporate employees still made more than a broke bandit, and seeing as how the gift had come from a Psycho-turned-Vault Hunter, it was a miracle they had gotten anything that wasn't a bloodied, severed head.

At the very least, the coffee table matched the rest of their apartment, despite Rhys's best attempts to keep the place in good upkeep. Everything seemed to constantly stay in a state of brokenness, as if by simply existing on Pandora nothing was allowed to stay whole and working as it should. Sasha said it was one of the planet's charms. Rhys was keen to disagree.

A smile played with Rhys's mouth as he peered up at Sasha, and she raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

It had been…difficult…to transition from Helios to Pandora. Adventuring on the Vault-ridden world had been one thing, but actually _living_ there…Pandorans were hardy people, and he had quickly come to admire them for their tenacity and ability to persist in an environment that actively wanted to kill them. And after what Sasha had endured to rescue him from the Eridians…there was no doubt in his mind that he had married the hardiest of them all.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Sasha asked, green eyes narrowing suspiciously as he stared at her, not bothering to hide the admiration and affection that he felt for her, lips curling in a goofy, lovesick grin. "I'm not going to change my mind, you know."

Rhys reached across the table and took her hands in his, gripping them tightly. "Sasha…I'm not asking you to change your mind. Not really. But to just…think about it before you— _we_ —make any final decision. Besides, he—or she—could do a lot worse in the name department."

"Yeah, we could name them 'Rhys'," she deadpanned.

Rhys winced. "Ouch. Low blow, Sash. Low blow."

The former con artist grinned evilly. "You had it coming. Admit it."

"Fine," Rhys sniffed, feigning hurt, real eye gleaming with mischief, "If 'Rhys' is really such a horrible name…Then I guess it's up to us to make up for my parents and free all future spawn from ill-fitting names."

"By naming them Loader Bot," Sasha stated incredulously.

"Just the firstborn," Rhys reminded her. "The second could be…could be…" He tapped his feet against the carpet, stirring up dust as he thought. "Could be….um….Echo Eye!"

Sasha rolled her eyes. "Rhys, _please_."

"What?"

"Be serious!"

"I am!"

Sasha blinked and drew back, eyes going wide with shock. "You want to name our secondborn _Echo Eye_?"

"You—you'd have _another_ kid. With _me_?" Rhys stammered.

"Is _that_ really what you just heard?"

"Umm…"

Something on his face sucked the fight right out of the Vault Hunter, for the next thing Rhys knew, she was tugging him closer, stopping only when their foreheads met. Rhys closed his eyes as her fingers roamed across his chest, played with the hair at the nape of his neck. He took in a deep breath—gunpowder and cinnamon—and once again couldn't help but wonder how he'd wound up there, how he'd gone from some stuffy cubicle and a room the size of a broom closet to an apartment—a shitty apartment, but an apartment nonetheless—on Pandora, how he'd gone from forever alone to 'till death do us part.

"Of _course,_ I'd have another kid with you, Rhys!" Sasha said softly. "You're my _husband_. Even if you weren't, even if we had decided not to tie the knot, I would, because I _love_ you and some stupid piece of paper and a ring isn't going to change what I feel for you. _Nothing_ will."

"Not even wanting to name our kid after Loader Bot?"

"No, not even that." Sasha laughed. "And I—I suppose we do owe him a lot," she admitted. "Loader Bot, that is. Without him, I never would have found you again. We never would have—" She sighed and gave a little chuckle. "You're lucky _I'm_ your wife and not someone else. _Loader Bot_. Of all things…"

Hope blossomed in Rhys' s chest. "So, then you'll really…?"

"I can't promise anything, but…I'll think about it." She stood, tugging him up after her. "Of course, some extra… _convincing_ …would help."

Rhys swallowed the lump in his throat at the predatory look shining in his wife's eyes, a look that told him he wasn't going to be getting any sleep that night. Not that he minded, of course. Just the opposite, in fact.

"Oh—uh—yeah—I'm sure I can—convince—name—" He shook his head, attempting to clear his lust-fogged brain as Sasha ran a finger along his jaw, pressing closer to him. "I—gotta check—gotta—Yvettte—meetings—check—Atlas—" he croaked.

"No rush…" she cooed. "I'm not going anywhere."

Taking hold of his tie, she gave a light tug. Rhys obliged without a second thought, kneeling so she could plant a kiss on his brow. He bit back a moan as her lips ghosted along the outer shell of his ear.

"I'll be waiting," she whispered, sending as shiver racing down Rhys's spine as she let him go.

Rhys collapsed heavily back onto the couch, his eyes training on her back instinctively as she sauntered away slowly, hips swaying, swaying, swaying…. "Not—not—long—" he managed to gasp. "Won't—I—not—long—"

"I would say you are, but a little humility never hurt anyone."

Rhys choked.


End file.
